ASCI Updates
Association for Species Conservation in India
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ASCI UPDATE
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Gir space crunch driving lions out
Ahmedabad, June 20: While it is known that the number of Asiatic lions is on the rise, what is interesting is that their population in the Gir Protected Area (comprising the Gir National Park and Gir Wildlife Sanctuary) has remained relatively constant, and it is the peripheral areas where their number is rising.

Silent killer at Melghat Reserve
FEBRUARY 24: Deep in the jungles of the Melghat Tiger Reserve a slow, silent killer is stalking the animals. The jungle does not resound to the crack of a gun nor the crude bow and arrow. But the animals die in agony after being cruelly poisoned.

Rare turtle species found in Coochbehar
COOCHBEHAR: A rare species of Turtle has been found in a lake at Balabhat village in West Bengal's Coochbehar district. Divisional Forest Officer Ujjwal Ghosh said on Wednesday the Kachuga Sylhetensis Turtle was one of the rarest species, and was found in the state for the first time.

Violent leopard shot dead
PALAKKAD, JAN. 4. A 10-year-old leopard that strayed into the town early morning today was shot dead by the police as the animal became violent due to the chasing of it by large number of local people.

From tuskers to tortoises, wildlife is sitting duck in UP
LUCKNOW, DEC 31: Thanks to unrestricted poaching, Uttar Pradesh has become a virtual graveyard for almost all type of animals which have a price in international market. For example, reptiles are in demand for their soft meat and are being smuggled in bulks. But far from launching any special drive to bust the racket, the Forest Department is completely indifferent toward such malpractice.

3 arrested for killing black buck in Bareilly
LUCKNOW: Three people were arrested on charges of killing a rare antelope in the dense jungles of Uttar Pradesh, forest officials said on Saturday.

Seesham trees fast disappearing
Meerut, December 20: A DEADLY fungus has gripped the Seesham trees (Dalbergia sissoo) in the northern region of the country, and the trees are now on the verge of disappearing.

Patrolling beefed up to check rhino poaching
NEW DELHI: Patrolling in all national parks and wild life sanctuaries forming part of the rhino habitat in the eastern frontier has been beefed up, following the death of at least six rhinos, five of them due to poaching, since August this year.

Confiscated animals handed over, 7 more crocodiles die
KANNUR, DEC. 13. Forest officials today completed the process of handing over the confiscated reptiles and animals to the Parassinikkadavu Snake Park authorities as directed by an interim order of the Kerala High Court, even as seven more crocodile hatchlings were found dead in captivity of the Forest Department.

Elephants causing havoc in Orissa villages
BHUBANESWAR: Inhabitants of Bhubaneswar and its nearby villages are facing a strange problem alien to most Indian villages - how to brave marauding wild elephants.

Temples endanger wildlife in Gir
NEW DELHI: Parliament's standing committee on environment and forests has slammed the Gujarat government for failing to keep the Gir sanctuary, the last natural habitat of the Asiatic lion, free of encroachments - thereby encouraging religious activities at the cost of preserving and protecting wildlife.

18 crocodiles die in captivity
KANNUR, DEC. 12. Even as a High Court's interim directive to keep the confiscated animals in the Parassinikkadavu Snake Park under the supervision of a three- member team of Forest officials gave a breather to the embarrassed Forest officials as well as to the park management today, the fresh death of 18 crocodile hatchlings and a fish owl left the officials in an unenviable position, with the entire issue having been taken up as a political one by the UDF against the State Government.

A tiger reserve in need of sanctuary
BHUBANESWAR, NOV. 27. Increasing human pressure, poaching, financial crunch, sho rtage of staff and vehicles and inability of the administration to shift four vi llages have put in peril the Similipal Sanctuary and Tiger Reserve in Orissa's M ayurbhanj district.

Vedanthangal accords warm welcome to winged visitors
CHENNAI, NOV 26: When the world slept early this morning, Vedanthangal chirped with activity. Its new visitors were busy settling down after a long journey from their homes.

Harike lake being developed for eco-tourism
HARIKE (FEROZEPUR): Following the spectacular success of the Army in clearing the Harike lake of the environment-threatening weed water hyacinth, the state government is implementing a multi-pronged strategy of conserving the Harike wetland and building it as a showpiece for eco-tourism.

Tigress playing hide and seek at bird sanctuary
BHARATPUR: What is a tigress doing in the bird park? Having a whale of a time enjoying a ``tasty menu'' of wild specimen like sambar, spotted deer, wild board, bluebell, jackal, hyena and, chance permitting, even a python.

UP wildlife men net 14 rare falcons
NEW DELHI, OCT 20: Fourteen priceless peregrine falcons, the swiftest living creatures on earth and a Schedule One bird according to the Indian Wildlife Act, on par with the tiger, were recovered from a trader in Unnau (Uttar Pradesh) on Thursday.

Harike story -- Hyacinth on the way out, birds on the way in
HARIKE, OCT 12: This winter, when the winged tourists fly in to Harike from faraway Siberia, China, Central Asia and Ladakh, they'll be pleasantly surprised to see the vast stretches of clear water rich in fish and plants.

Move on to save Ranthambhore sanctuary
October 5: AN ACTION plan is in the offing that will ensure distribution of economic benefits among thousands of villagers outside the Ranthambhore sanctuary.

Assam govt tells HC of wildlife sanctuary extension, eviction of encroachers
OCT 2: The Guwahati High Court has asked the government of Assam to take immediate steps to stop illegal felling of tress, begin plantation and afforestation and above all clear encroachment in forest areas so that flora and fauna are preserved.

Once they shot elephants, now they hunt poachers
THEKKADI (KERALA), SEPTEMBER 25: Every morning a ragtag army of five unarmed ex-bandits donning camouflage uniforms, accompanied by two armed forest department guards, moves into the world-famous Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkadi in Kerala.

Security forces flush out armed rebels from Manas National Park
GUWAHATI, SEPT 25: The renowned Manas National Park, an important bio-diversity hot-spot of Southeast Asia, is back in the news for the wrong reasons. After a gap of five fairly peaceful years, militants have once again infested the national park, putting the plant and animal wealth of the park in a grave danger.

Tiger poaching 'still at danger level'
Poachers are continuing to kill the world's remaining tigers, despite progress in reducing the use of the animals' bones in traditional medicine.

Dying vultures disturb Towers of Silence
NEW DELHI: For one Indian community, the vanishing vulture isn't just a conservation issue -- it affects the very core of their being. And, that is why Khojeste P Mistree is representing the Bombay Parsi Panchayat at the ongoing international meeting on the vulture crisis in India.

Meagre amount sanctioned for settlement of rights
NEW DELHI, Aug 31 (PTI): The Centre today informed the Supreme Court that a meagre Rs 45 crore has been sanctioned for settlement of rights of people living inside protected areas of over 520 national parks and sanctuaries.

25 peacocks poisoned to death in Gujarat village
Vadodara (Gujarat): Twenty-five peacocks were poisoned to death at Rayka village on Wednesday.

Two villagers booked for poisoning spotted cats
THE TWO leopards found dead at village Rasodhi in Petlavad range on August 28 had been wilfully poisoned by two villagers, confirmed Jhabua DFO Dr R K Gupta. The two have since been arrested and booked under the Protection of Wildlife Act, 1972.

Himalayan national park rich in endangered species
GREAT HIMALAYAN National Park, considered to be the world's only viable protected area with unique Himalayan biological diversity, provides shelter for several endangered animal species

Reserved forests too not spared by encroachers
Ever fancied waking up to the trumpet of elephants? Or opening your window in the morning to stare at a capped langur? Or meeting a leopard in your backyard as you put up your clothes to dry? Or stopping the car to let a python get clear of your driveway?

'Poachers' become protectors of forest wealth
BIDAR, AUG. 25. The successful management of forest wealth by the people in Barur village in Bidar taluk is a shining example how "poachers" can become protectors with the initiative of some committed officials in the Forest Department.

Maharashtra forest officials to be armed
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government will provide arms to forest officials in the state for self defence against smugglers and illegal traffickers operating in forests, Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has said.

The chinkara fights a losing battle in Rajasthan
JODHPUR: The chinkara or Indian gazelle is battling for life in the desert with poachers killing several hundreds of them every year.

S American weed threatens Orissa forests
BHUBANESWAR: A fast-growing South American weed with tiny flowers, eupatorium, appears to be taking over most major forests and wild habitats in Orissa, threatening an ecological disaster in the state.

Man shot for preventing killing of blackbuck
JAIPUR: A person belonging to the Bishnoi community was killed when some poachers hunting the endangered blackbuck fired at him.

One more Gir lion dead
BARODA: One more lion died in the Gir National park in Junagadh district even as the post-mortem report from the veterinary college at Anand in central Gujarat dismissed possibility of death of two of them due to rabies,reports PTI.

60 peacocks die in Madhya Pradesh
BHOPAL: After the big cats, it's the National Bird. More than 60 peacocks have died in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district over the last three days after eating 'bajra' laced with harmful pesticides.

Guwahati forests fast shrinking
GUWAHATI, JULY 5: Guwahati, city of the famous Kamakhya temple - the ancient seat of tantric studies, is also home to a wide variety of bird species and as many as 50 leopards. The forests here are fast shrinking, bringing the cats face to face with the humans more frequently than before.

New wildlife policy: too little too late?
INDIA does not have a wildlife policy. Not in the sense of a vision statement which lays out the progress to be made in the coming years. What it has always had is an action plan, the latest of which will be presented by the government next month after a gap of 17 years.

Orang wildlife sanctuary in grip of encroachers
TEZPUR, June 8: The Rajiv Gandhi Wild Life Sanctuary popularly known as the Orang Sanctuary established in 1915 in Sonitpur and Darrang districts and home of the famous one horned Asiatic rhino after the Kaziranga National Park is today in dire straits due to unabated influx by foreign nationals, who have occupied large area of the sanctuary during the last few years, under the very nose of the State Government and the forest department.

Kakoijana reserve to get sanctuary status : CM
ABHAYAPURI, June 7: "The Kakoijana reserve forest will be declared a sanctuary immediately", said Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta at a public meeting held at Gandhi Maidan here recently.

Monkey trouble at Sariska Sanctuary
JAIPUR: There's some monkey business on at the Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan. The state's forest department has launched a massive drive to catch the sanctuary's monkeys and langoors and release them in the unprotected forests in the adjoing areas. The reasons for this effort are cloaked in mystery.

Peel off the tiger skin trail
THE WILDLIFE conservation movement in India has come a long way. Today, India is perhaps the only country in the "third world" that has a strict legal framework and a system for conservation of its natural resources including wildlife.

It's all hush-hush -- UP denotifies land next to Corbett
NEW DELHI, MAY 21: Environmentalists and wildlife lovers are aghast at the denotification of 62 hectares of prime forest land sharing boundary with the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh.

Downpour washes out lion census at Gir forest
AHMEDABAD: Finally, nature settled the row over the lion census at Gir, the only home of the Asiatic lion in the wild in the country. A heavy downpour over the past two days in the national park area forced the forest department officials to call off the five-year census and mourn over three months of meticulous planning and deployment going down the drain.

Low cost jute carrybags to replace plastic bags
CALCUTTA: The National Institute of Research on Jute and allied fibre technology (NIRJAFT) here has come out with low-priced disposable carrybags made from jute fibres in view of the impending ban on the use of plastic carrybags in the state capital.

Bill bars foreigners from using India's biodiversity
NEW DELHI: A biological diversity Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday, seeks to protect the country's biological resources from foreigners but gives Indians free access to these.

Fatal elephant-man conflict unfolding in Assam
BHOLGAON: Seventy-five-year-old Sofur Ali and hiseight-member family in this hamlet in the northeastern Indian state of Assam is in a state of shock.

Poaching rampant in Rajaji National Park
Joshimath, May 11: ON MAY 4, the Howrah Express ran into a herd of elephants near Rishikesh, killing one. The impact derailed the train, injuring 18 passengers. In the last two years, it was 15th elephant to die under a train or by falling off a hillock close to populated areas. The herd stood on the railway line as the noisy train approached, as if to take it on or commit suicide.

Kankwari : The Next Wildlife Destination
KANKWARI: Kankwari is the exact antithesis of its surroundings: A small hamlet on a plush meadow in Rajasthan's Sariska Tiger Reserve with a 17th century fortress and a perennial reservoir in the backdrop.

Dwindling forest cover in UP worries experts
MEERUT: The gradual reduction in forest land, allegedly due to land-grabbing by the forest mafia across the UP plains, has caused concern among forest authorities and environmentalists.

Steps to check illegal mining in forests
BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government has adopted strict measures to check illegal mining in the forest areas of the state.

Visitors a part of litter-free Corbett drive
RAMNAGAR: Visitors to the famous Jim Corbett National Park will henceforth carry handwoven waste baskets with them to leave behind a ``garbage-free Corbett''.

Centre to help restore Orissa forests
NEW DELHI: Centre assured Orissa government all possible help to restore forests ravaged during last year's super-cyclone. Giving the assurance to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Environment and Forest Minister T R Ballu said Centre would extend all financial assistance for afforestation and eco-development projects in the state "so that the severity of any future cyclone can be lessened".

Asian elephants endangered by rampant poaching for ivory
New Delhi, April 2: POACHING FOR ivory has put a question mark on the survival of the Asian elephant in India because of certain peculiar factors.

Killing of animals rampant in Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary
Meerut, April 2: THE INCIDENTS of preying wild animals inside the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary (HWS) by erecting live wires around the fields are on rise. Wild Life officials have arrested one person with beheaded body of a hog deer in the jungle of village Maur Khurd of Hastinapur this morning while two are still elusive.

Massive encroachment in Upper Assam forest lands
JORHAT, March 28 - About 1500 square kilometre area in upper Assam forest circle is under encroachment out of the total area of 2800 sq km excluding the Kaziranga National Park.

Dhole sighted in Rajasthan
ANTHAMBHOR, MARCH 26. The fierce wild dog generally known as Dhole has made a comeback in Rajasthan jungles. A deadly predator, the animal is being spotted these days in the Ranthambhor tiger reserve.

7 members of poaching-gang held
MADURAI: Seven members of a gang of poachers, allegedly involved in the murder of three elephants in forest ranges in Tamil Nadu, had been arrested and 30 kg of ivory seized from them, a senior forest official said today.

Tiger population census on
GUWAHATI, March 17-Tiger census is being carried out throughout the State by the State Forest Department with the help of forest and wildlife officials and NGOs. The census will continue for seven days after which the process of compilation of data will be started. State Wildlife Conservator, Sri RDS Tanwar informed that this year tiger census is carried out even in outer forest areas and all reserved forest areas in addition to protected wildlife parks in Kaziranga, Manas and Nameri.

Elephant electrocuted
TIRUNELVELI, MARCH 9. Electric fencing erected illegally in a private farm near the reserve forest in Vairavakulam beat in Kadayanallur range claimed the life of an eight-year-old she elephant yesterday.

FRI help sought to save forests from decaying
AMRITSAR: The Punjab State Forest Development Corporation has sought the help of the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehra dun to save forests from decaying, reports UNI.

Greek-make ship releases large scale poisonous dirt into sea
RAJKOT: A major operation has been launched by the Coast Guard to check and probe the large scale release of poisonous petroleum dirt by a Greek-make ship 'Splender' into the sea waters.

Forest deptt. to conduct census in the Western Ghats
COIMBATORE: The forest department has decided to conduct animal census in the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Animal Sanctuary (IGWAS) in the Western Ghats with the participation of voluntary organisations and scientists from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

HC extends deadline for park encroachers to March 21
MARCH 2: The state government has been given time till March 21 to either rehabilitate the 33,000 illegal encroachers in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, failing which they will have to be evicted. Issuing a stern warning, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice N J Pandya and Justice Ranjana

Eco-vigilantes raise alarm as HP lifts ban on tree-felling
SHIMLA: The Himachal government's recent decision of to allow tree felling in the state for lining its cash-starved coffers has upset environmentalists and politicians in the state.

Fire in Orissa forest
PURI: A devastating fire broke out in in Balukhand Reserve Forest by the side of the Puri-Konark marine drive, according to official sources here.

Poisonous seeds threatening peacocks: Experts
HISSAR, 24 Feb: After vultures, whose population has reduced drastically during the last few years, it is now the turn of the national bird, peacock, that is under threat.

All for an eco-friendly Holi
NEW DELHI, 23 Feb: Nobody is talking any more of home minister L K Advani's ``Kandahar sulk,'' when he ``offered'' to resign after the government ``surrendered'' to the hijackers. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has not only persuaded him to stay on, but also cemented old ties by sending positive signals all around.

IAS officer, associates remanded for killing Kaziranga animals
GUWAHATI: Senior IAS officer V. Sekhose, secretary art and culture department to the Nagaland government, along with five of his associates have been remanded to 14 days judicial custody for allegedly killing five rhesus monkeys and a wide variety of birds at upper Assam's Kaziranga, reports PTI.

The future lies at sea
For a country that has a 7,000 kilometre coastline, the oceans hold the key to India's ecological future. Yet after studiously ignoring the environmental problems of this sector, all that the government has been able to do is to come up with is a Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification under the Environment Protection Act issued in 1991 which purports to guard the coastline from harmful activity.

BNHS spots rare hornbills at Sanjay Gandhi National Park
MUMBAI: The Bombay Natural History Society's (BNHS) ornithologists have spotted rare hornbills at the Vihar catchment forest of Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Western Ghats among threatened hotspots
Washington, February 8: THE WESTERN Ghats, straddling Kerala and Karnataka, are among the 25 most species-rich and environmentally threatened areas of the world, according to a new report released here yesterday by Population Action International (PAI).

Declare Mahadei valley as a wildlife sanctuary: BNHS
MUMBAI: Bombay Natural History Society today appealed to the chief wildlife warden of government of Karnataka for the creation of a wildlife sanctuary in the Mahadei valley in the western ghats, reports PTI.

Elephant dies after taking contaminated water
KUMILY, FEB. 7. A cow elephant in the prime of reproductive age has died in a forest close to Sabarimala inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve because of suspected poisoning from intake of faeces- contaminated water.

Enforcement Directorate for wildlife crimes favoured
MUMBAI: The Bombay Natural History Society has strongly recommended to union home minister L K Advani to set up an enforcement directorate for wildlife crimes.

World Bank Development Projects Push Indian Tigers to the Brink
Although a recent New York Times piece claimed that wild tigers have made a "remarkable recovery," a quick look at the real numbers gives a more accurate picture of the challenge this magnificent species faces at the brink of extinction.

Schemes to protect hill environment of western U.P.
DEHRA DUN, Feb 3 : The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has recently approved the introduction of a solar water heater as a multi-dimensional intervention tool in the upper Yamuna valley of Uttarkashi district of Garhwal, reports UNI.

Ten conservation sites to be designated as wetlands
NEW DELHI, Feb 2: The ministry of environment and forests has commenced the process of marking ten conservation sites covering about 11 lakh hectares as wetlands to coincide with world wetlands day today.

783 sq km of NE forest cover depletes in 3 years
GOLAGHAT, Dec 26 - The spectre of mass depletion of forest cover looms large over the north-eastern region. According to official reports, in the past 3 years, the dense forest cover and the open forest cover had depleted by 783 sq km posing a serious threat to the eco-balance system in the region.

Concern over illegal entry of poachers
DEHRA DUN: While the VVIPs arrival is welcome, as guests to the national parks of Dudhwa, Rajaji and Corbett, to celebrate the new millennium, the park authorities are apprehensive of illegal entry of poachers in the guise of tourists sneaking into the wildlife habitat, forest officials told The Times of India News here on Sunday.

Special agency for wildlife crime needed
New Delhi, December 22: THE SEIZURE of one of the biggest consignments of tiger, leopard and jungle cat skins from Ghaziabad on Saturday night has once again brought into focus the need for a specialised investigating agency to deal with wildlife-related crime.

Animal skins worth Rs 2 crore seized
GHAZIABAD: A massive racket, involving the selling of animal skins, was unearthed after state sales-tax officials seized 50 leopard, three tiger and five jungle-fox skins from a truck in Ghaziabad on Saturday night.

Police seize black buck: Two arrested
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Thursday night seized a black buck and detained two men for possessing an endangered animal. On Friday the men were sent to judicial custody, while the animal went to the Delhi zoo.

Police-like prosecution powers for forest officers
NEW DELHI: In a significant move the Delhi environment ministry has decided to provide police-like prosecution powers to its district forest officers regarding violations of the Preservation of Trees Act.

They won't leave the jungle for all the gold in the world
New Delhi, December 10: THEY FACE the poachers? gun, government apathy, encroachers? attacks and their family's disapproval but give them "all the gold in the world" Forest Guard Babulal Orang and his comrades would not leave the jungle and the animals they love.

Arunachal to expand protected forest area
NEW DELHI, Dec 8 - Arunachal Pradesh will expand its protected forest area from the existing 13 per cent to 20 per cent of its geographical area, State Chief Minister Mukut Mithi has said.

Oil slick off Gujarat coast threatens rare coral colony
JAIPUR: The rare coral colony off Gujarat coast is under threat due to oil slicks in Narora lagoon, close to southern shore of Gulf of Kutch, a marine life expert has said.

Kanha National Park has highest tiger density in the world
KANHA: The tiger, which was once an endangered species, has swelled its population to 130 in the Kanha reserve in the central India highlands, making it the highest tiger density park in the world.

Bill to check illegal mining
NEW DELHI, DEC. 3. The Mines and Minerals Minister, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, introduced today a Bill in the Lok Sabha seeking to amend mining law asserting that the legislation would ensure increased investment, give more powers to States and check illegal mining.

Proposed restaurant threatens Chilka lake's bio-diversity
Chilka, the largest brackish water lake in Asia, might have escaped the wrath of the super cyclone that struck coastal Orissa recently claiming over 20,000 lives, but its future is now threatened by a proposal of the Orissa Tourism Development Corporation to develop a floating restaurant on its waters.

Mafia role in cutting of typha grass hits sanctuary?s fauna
Meerut, December 1: HE TIME-BOUND permit scheme of the Wildlife Department, which is issued for cutting typha grass in the Hastinapur Sanctuary for the domestic use of the villagers, has failed to halt the activities of the mafia, who in connivance with the field staff of the Forest Department cut the grass and supply it to the nearby paper mills.

Was it IOC leak or did a ship dump oil?
NARARA/GANDHINAGAR, NOV 26: Fears of large-scale damage caused by an oil slick near Narara island off the Vadinar coast in Jamnagar abated Thursday, though details on actual destruction, and on the origins of the slick, were unavailable.

Bannerghatta villagers protest against elephant menace
BANGALORE, Nov 24: It was a case of unwanted guests who were reluctant to return home. A herd of elephants, numbering about 30 to 40, strayed into neighbouring villages of Bannerghatta National Park about 20 km from here on Tuesday night, damaging standing crops on their way. Frantic efforts to chase them away by the forest and police personnel till late Wednesday evening proved futile.

Park at the mercy of militants
The Palamau Tiger Reserve, Bihar, is in dire straits, starved of funds allotted to it. The damage caused by incompetent administration is compounded by militants. Villagers, cattle grazers and poachers are all over the park, says USHA RAI. Beginning an occasional column.

Indian tigers in danger of extinction
NEW DELHI: An alarm sounded around the world when India's tiger population was found to be teetering on the brink of extinction in the early 1970s. In 1972, the government formed Project Tiger to protect the tiger forests and banned shooting any of India's remaining 1,800 tigers.

Kaziranga Park selected for Millennium Award
GUWAHTATI, Nov 23 - Kaziranga National Park has been selected for the prestigious Rs 2 lakh Millennium Award of the WWF-Tiger Conservation Programme for being one of the best managed parks. The award was given to Kaziranga National Park for total commitment exhibited by park personnel to save its wildlife against fury of floods, poachers etc. The selection panel noted that despite the adversity population of rhino, tiger and other wildlife have thrived in the national park.


Tit for tat?
Nov 20: Robbed of their food and habitats by the ever expanding human population, this herd of the wild elephants is now frequenting the paddy fields and orchards of Rani area, about 15 km south-west of Guwahati, with the people of the area alleging rampage of their crops by wild elephants. The herd is seen crossing a road in the area early morning yesterday. - Assam Tribune photo

Professional poachers suspected behind killing of elephants
KEONJHAR, Nov 20: Professional poachers are suspected to be behind the recent electrocution of three female elephants in the Nayagarh jungle in Keonjhar district, a forest official said here today.

Plan to conserve Royal Bengal tiger
ALCUTTA: India, Nepal and Bangladesh should cooperate in managing tiger habitats, populations and related issues to ensure a secure future for the Royal Bengal tiger in the next millennium, according to the recommendations of an international seminar here.

Deforestation caused cyclone havoc: Experts
BHUBANESWAR: Large-scale destruction of mangrove and casuarina forests and proliferation of prawn ponds all along the coast helped wreak the worst-ever havoc after the October 29 super cyclone, experts here feel.

Maneaters roaming in Karnataka
BANGALORE: The maneaters have come out of the forest to get you - keeping the forest department officials on their toes. The officials are busy chalking out a strategy to contain the beast-menace without firing a single bullet.

Human explosion in Gir threatens lions
SASAN (JUNAGADH): In 1972, when the state authorities first planned moving maldharis (cattle-grazers) out of Gir to preserve the last home of the Asiatic Lion, there were 4,802 persons with a 16,842 livestock population living in the forest. More than half of these families were moved out under a relocation plan which continued till 1986. Today, the human heads have once again reached the 4,000-mark and, more importantly, the cattle count has almost reached the 1972 figure.

Forest staff intensify agitation over `killing' of guards
DEHRA DUN: Agitated over the alleged killing of three forest guards in the Dehra Dun forest division, thousands of forest employees have decided to intensify their agitation, if their demand for their protection is not met soon.

Protecting rhinos on a war-footing
KAZIRANGA (ASSAM), NOV. 13. Against all odds, including human interference and natural calamities, the great one horned rhinoceros, fondly called by animal lovers as the ``ancient apothecary'', is thriving in its natural habitat in the alluvial grasslands of the Brahmaputra valley.

Destruction of habitats leading to elephant menace
TINSUKIA, Nov 11 - A herd of wild elephants has been causing extensive damage to paddy fields and human habitations over the last one month, in Tengapani, Lakshipathar, Kachamari, Borbari, Garbasti, Tingraigaon and Orangbasti villages under Itakhuli block.

Simlipal records increase in elephant population
BARIPADA, Nov 12: The Simlipal Tiger Reserve, a safe haven for elephants in Orissa, has recorded 5.4 per cent increase in pachyderm population in last five years, according to a latest census report. The 1999 elephant census said the Simlipal Tiger Reserve along with its north and south corridors harbour is now a home of 518 elephants. The reserve had 491 elephants in 1994, reports UNI.

With sanctuary devastated, wild elephants enter city
BHUBANESWAR, NOV 12: Hungry and tense, herds of wild elephants are roaming the fringes of this city as their home, the Chandka reserve forest, has been devastated in the October 29 super cyclone.

The threats to Mudumalai sanctuary
MUDUMALAI, NOV. 11. The exponential growth in the population of both people and cattle in the eastern fringes of Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary has begun to pose a serious biotic threat to this protected area.

Two Siberian cranes arrive in Bharatpur
JAIPUR: A pair of the endangered Siberian cranes was spotted at the famous Keoladeo national bird sanctuary in Bharatpur on Wednesday.

Tribals demand withdrawal of M.P. forestry project
NEW DELHI, NOV. 10. At the fag end of its first phase, the Madhya Pradesh Forestry Project (MPFP) - the country's largest foreign- funded forestry project - is facing voices of dissent, ironically from those very people whom it should have benefited during the past years.

Destruction of mangroves led to supercyclone
BHUBANESWAR: Denudation of vast stretches of mangroves in coastal Orissa is one of the reasons for the supercyclone which claimed thousands of lives and caused widespread damage in the state, according to eminent environmentalist Banka Behari Das.

Tiger population in Bandipur National Park increases to 79
MYSORE: The tiger population in the Bandipur National Park has increased from 73 to 79 this year, thanks to the implementation of the "Project Tiger", reports PTI.

Resettlement of Melghat evacuees discussed
NAGPUR, NOV 5: A joint meeting of Government officials, NGOs and villagers was organised by Melghat NGO Coordination Committee recently at Bori village in Chikhaldara block to discuss the resettlement issue of people displaced from 22 villages of Melghat sanctuary in Amravati district by the Government.

Environmentalists tick Sabarimala rail link
Confrontation is building up between environmentalists and some Hindu religious bodies, with the former preparing to launch a crusade against the proposed Sabarimala rail project that would connect the famous Hindu pilgrimage centre to the national railway network.

Eleven herds of tuskers on the rampage in Tripura
AGARTALA: Eleven herds of wild tuskers are on the rampage in four villages under Kalyanpur police station of west Tripura district killing two people, destroying houses, damaging crops since the last one month, forest department sources said here today. Panic gripped the people of Durgapur, Dakshin Durgapur, Shanti Nagar and Promodnagar as the herds attacked the villages even at day time, sources said, reports PTI.

Five arrested for poaching
AHMEDNAGAR, Nov 1: The forest officials here have arrested five persons under the charge of poaching an antelope in a farm near Sakat village Jamkhed taluka. Seven accused are still absconding.

N-E timber scam; CBI probe also ordered
NEW DELHI, NOV 1: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has unearthed a Rs 400-crore timber scam in the north-eastern states and suspended Avinash Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forests, Arunachal Pradesh, for alleged corruption. Kumar was suspended on October 6 and Union Home Secretary Kamal Pande has ordered a CBI inquiry directing that the alleged involvement of `several politicians,' including former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Gegong Apang, be probed.

Forest area in MP decreasing
BHOPAL, Oct31: The forest area in Madhya Pradesh was decreasing at the an average rate of about 5000 sq. km. per year since 1994, the state assembly was informed today.

Gujjars of the Shivalik forest facing severe crisis
DEHRADUN, Oct 27: The pastoral Gujjars of the Shivalik forest area in the Doon valley are fighting for survival while facing several serious problems arising from their reluctance to move out of the proposed Rajaji national park, reports PTI.

Forest dept seeks PASA arrest
VADODARA, Oct 20: The Vadodara circle of the Forest department, covering the districts of Vadodara, Dahod and Panchmahals, has sought District Collector Anil Mukim's permission to arrest a notorious khair wood smuggler under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act. If it comes through, it will be the first such arrest in Central Gujarat.

Reclamation of land led to degradation of mangrove wetlands
MUMBAI, Oct 21: The reclamation of land in the down stream region of Mahim creek for development of slums and establishment of the Bandra-Kurla complex in the upstream region has slowly resulted in the degradation of mangrove wetlands in the area, reports PTI.

Forest dept silent over tiger census technique
JAIPUR, Oct 19: The tiger population in Rajasthan has been estimated between 58 to 67, says the report of the latest wildlife census conducted in May this year. However, these figures are not the outcome of the much publicised "photo-trap" technique adopted at the famous Ranthambor Tiger Project along with the conventional "pug-marks" counting.

Govt opposes uniform criteria on mining near national parks
NEW DELHI, Oct 18: Centre has opposed in the Delhi high court adopting of uniform criteria on prohibition of industrial and mining activities within the five kilometre area of the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

Lesser cats should not be forgotten, says expert
NEW DELHI, Oct 18: Has the glamorous tiger hogged the limelight so much that everyone has forgotten about all the other wild cats?

Panthers refuse to go away
VADODARA, Oct 17: By trapping and subsequently deporting a panther in Waghodia taluka of the district, forest officials may have brought some solace to terror-stricken local villagers, but forestors know only too well that the panther menace is here to stay.

Need to rewrite UP forest rules
PAURI, OCT 17: The state government and the World Bank would do well to learn the rules of forest conservation from the army of Mahila Mangal Dals (MMDs) - the informal village women's groups - active in Doodhatoli range.

At least 58 tigers in Rajasthan
AIPUR: The tiger population in Rajasthan has been estimated between 58 and 67, according to the latest wildlife census. The census, conducted in May this year, enumerated the number of big cats in two project tiger areas -- Ranthambhore and Sariska -- besides Ramuwa, Ramgarh and Vishdhari wildlife sanctuaries, an official release said today, reports PTI.

India's Largest Oil Companies Contaminate Tea Gardens
BOMBAY, India, October 8, 1999 (ENS) - India's two largest oil exploration companies have been charged with discharging toxic effluents from drilling sites and indiscriminately flaring natural gas, endangering humans, plants and animals in the Northeastern region of Assam. The petroleum pollution is entering drinking water and affecting the region's world famous tea plantations.

Nal Sarovar may have more winged visitors
NALSAROVAR, Oct 3: With the monsoon nearing its end, naturalists and birdwatchers are all set to make a beeline for Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary. While water bodies all over the State are drying up due to scant rainfall, Nal Sarovar is brimming over -- spelling good news for birdwatchers.

Do pine trees make a forest?
PAURI, Oct 3: Rural women here are exasperated with the forest department. They wonder whether foresters are insensitive or plain dumb! The bone of contention is the heavy plantation of chir, or pine trees, done by the department in the name of afforestation. Pine trees, the women assert, neither satisfy their needs for firewood and fodder; nor do they enrich the environment in any way.

Deer: Attraction for experts and poachers
JAGDALPUR, Oct 2: A large number of four-horned deer sprinting joyously with their new-borns across the forests of Bastar in Madhya Pradesh are the centre of attraction for both wildlife experts and poachers these days.

34% of reserve forest in WB brought under protected category
CALCUTTA, OCT 2: Thirty four per cent of the reserve forest in West Bengal has been declared as protected area, principal secretary of West Bengal Forest Department Chandra Sekhar Samal said. Speaking on the occasion of 'Wild Life Week' being organised by Zoological Survey of India here yesterday, Samal stressed the need of proper forest management for its proper growth in the state.

Are elephants safe in their own confines?
Patna, October 1: ARE THE pachyderms quite safe in their own confines of protected wild-life sanctuaries in Bihar? Is the number of elephants fast dwindling? Man made reasons appear solely responsible for their killings at short intervals. In the last six months, at least 10 elephants were found dead under mysterious circumstances.

Donors happy with forestry plan
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 27. Notwithstanding minor distractions over India's nuclear tests and signing of the CTBT, major international donors have largely welcomed the National Forestry Action Programme (NFP) drawn up by the Government which is seeking $ 32 billions for its implementation over the next 20 years.

Insurance cover for elephants
JALPAIGURI, Sep 27: The forest department has constituted eco-development committees around national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, reports UNI.

A truant monsoon spells disaster for wildlife
AHMEDABAD, Sep 26: The rains have played truant this year in Gujarat, threatening the survival of wild animals and their habitats, according to forest officials here. Natural water holes in all the sanctuaries and national parks across the state have dried up, save in Gir and Nal Sarovar, they add.

Karnataka scuttles biodiversity plan
Bangalore: Fearing "unwanted" disputes over patents by locals, the state has refused to support a project to record the biodiversity and indigenous knowledge of all taluks in Karnataka, forcing authorities to shelve the plan.

Foot and mouth disease reported in Bandipur National park
MYSORE : Reports of the deadly foot and mouth epidemic in a part of Bandipur National Park has caused concern among wild life enthusiasts and forest officers here. Carcasses of a Deer and Sambar, both belonging to the Antelope family, recovered in Gundre forest range recently were found to be infested with the disease, which had taken a heavy toll of the Bisons in the park in 1960s, reports PTI

Summer sends thirsty lions out of Gir
SASAN-GIR, SEPT 22: The lions are thirsty and are moving out in search of water. The drought of Saurashtra is taking it toll on the Asiatic lions in Gir as more of them are migrating to the periphery of the sanctuary, where, chances are, they will be poisoned by scared villagers.

Pipeline through marine park -- Gujarat feels PMO pressure
GANDHINAGAR, SEPT 21: Yielding to pressure from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Gujarat Government appears all set to clear the controversial proposal allowing Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd (BORL) to lay a pipeline through the National Marine Park in the Gulf of Kutch near Vadinar in Jamnagar district.

Gujarat Govt. against move to shift Asiatic Lions
SASAN GIR (Gujarat), SEPT. 21. The Gujarat Government is believed to have put its foot down on any move to shift to Madhya Pradesh some of the Asiatic Lions from their only abode, the Gir sanctuary in the State, for creating a second home for the once- endangered species.

Gir animals threatened by water crisis
SASAN GIR (GUJARAT), SEPT. 20. The greenery all around is rather deceptive. The situation is far more critical. Beneath the green canopy the land has started developing cracks, the rivers have turned dry and the natural water holes are all empty.

Tigress mauled to death at Bannerghatta
BANGALORE, SEPT. 19. Savage instincts haunted the Bannerghatta National Park here on Saturday when a four-year-old tigress, Chetana, was ripped open to death by six tigers in what was described as a territorial dispute among the animals. The postmortem was conducted early on Sunday morning and the carcass buried inside the park.

Wildlife mute victim of shelling in Kargil
JAMMU, SEPT 17: They are the victims of the recent Indo-Pak conflict in Kargil, but their plight has failed to attract the attention of the civilized world. Unfortunately, no one has even bothered to ascertain their fate nor can they speak for themselves.

Kaziranga animals facing starvation
GOLAGHAT, Sept 11: The wild animals in the Kaziranga National Park are facing starvation due to shortage of green grass, and are moving away for better shelter and pasture. Recently, it was reported that the land area of this world famous national park has shrunk to two-thirds of its original size due to erosion by the river Brahmaputra.

A lifetime on the elephant trail
Sep 12: Elephants are among the most sensitive creatures, and it takes a lot of patience to study them. Dr. V. Krishnamurthy, 70, has spent years tracking the intelligent Asian jumbos to help them survive the onslaught of man. The retired veterinarian started his career in the veterinary science department and later worked in the Forest department. P.Oppili joins the inveterate tracker on the elephant trail.

WWF maps issue only tip of iceberg
NEW DELHI, SEPT. 9. There is more to it than meets the eye in the ongoing controversy between the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)- India and WWF-International over the ``maps'' issue.

The Last Mahaseer
Plunk! A silver splash breaks the taut skin of the water just upstream of the grey boulder where the rapid enters the calm womb of the turquoise pool. With slow turns of the handle I begin to reel in my lure; gently easing it as close to the boulder as possible. It's here in the fast water, among the rocks that the mighty mahaseer thrives. Can feel my lure scraping the rocks on the river bed as the line draws it back. Soon a flash of silver marks the position of the lure as it makes it's way across the pool.

Tulasi's green thumb works out a revolution in her valley
MYSORE, SEPT 8: She's just another 56-year-old woman from a little-known tribe in a little-known village. Except for one thing. Tulasi has won the H Honniah Award for Excellence in Service for single-handedly and selflessly turning an entire hillock in Karwar into a lush forest and continuing to put her green thumbs to work in other areas nearby.

"Khora",the killer tusker is dead
JAMUGURIHAT, Sept 5: The leader of the wild tuskers (popularly known as ?Khora? by the farmers) of Panpur Reserve Forest (6th addition of Kaziranga National Park) died at Hatimora Tapu, 3 k.m. away from Panpurghat under Jamuguri police station.

Green bridge to save Rajaji elephants
Lucknow, September 5: A GHAZIABAD-BASED Irrigation engineer has designed a ?green bridge? to save elephants of Rajaji National Park (RNP) from a killer railway track. His proposed civil engineering ?solution? comes in the wake of a global Internet campaign against the railways.

Timber smuggling flourishing in south Kamrup
AZARA, Aug 31: Despite the ban on cutting forest trees by the Supreme Court, illegal felling of trees in the entire south Kamrup area has been continuing unabated for the last several years. Wood smuggling has been flourishing at Chhaygaon, Bamunigaon, Kukurmara, Rampur, Loharghat, Chandubi, Rani, Azara, Dharapur, etc., in south Kamrup for the last several years.

Polluting India?s groundwater
Sep 1: INDIA?S GROUNDWATER is being polluted by numerous factories that directly pump untreated effluents into the ground through dry borewells. The most worrying is the presence of mercury in groundwater. Down To Earth and the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, got samples of groundwater from eight places in three States: Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. The samples were analysed at the Facility for Ecological and Analytical Testing (FEAT) of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur.

Tusker menace turns grave in greater Tezpur
TEZPUR, Aug 23: A herd of wild tuskers are creating havoc in different parts of greater Tezpur in Sonitpur district and have damaged a good number of dwelling houses and other properties. According to an eyewitness, in Bambasseria, Muslimgaon, Madarguri and Konaiborachuk on August 17 night the wild tuskers damaged at least ten dwelling houses and one business establishment.

'A giant among foresters'
CHENNAI, AUG. 25. Tributes were paid to C. R. Ranganathan (1899- 1987), the first Indian Inspector General of Forests, at a function to mark his birth centenary here.

New biofertiliser can boost yields
BANGALORE, Aug 25: Growers of vegetables like onion and potato, flowers like aster, marigold, gladioli and roses and trees like eucalyptus, poplar, babool and also fodder crops can now look forward to a unique biofertiliser that can increase the yield by 30-50 per cent.

Five lakh snake skin pieces consigned to flames
CHENNAI, AUG 24: Over five lakh pieces of snake skins (three lakh finished and two lakh unfinished) were consigned to flames in July this year near the Bharat Leather Corporation (BLC) office at Madhavaram in TALCO Industrial Estate. Though no estimates were made, the goods are believed to be worth several lakhs of rupees.

Hey Mr! There's a leopard at your door
MUMBAI, AUG 23: Perhaps it was the delicious dinner that did the trick. Lured by the scent of fresh mutton, a three-year-old leopard was trapped by the Forest Department at the Godrej Eden Woods in Thane district in the wee hours today.

Tiger kills teenage girl
GOPESHWAR, Aug 23: A maneater tiger, hiding in anticipation, snatched a 12-year-old girl from her mother as they came out of their house and fled with the girl in the Gopeshwar district of Uttar Pradesh, police said adding her body was later found at some distance away.

Protest against Govt move on Muga Farm
GUWAHATI, Aug 22: It seems the State Government is adamant to remove the Basic Muga Seed Farm at Khanapara and to destroy its invaluable treasure of about 3,000 som and soalu trees to construct the residential complex as part of the State About 300 people, who assembled in front of the Muga Farm this morning to register their protest against the Governmental move by planting some more trees inside the Farm complex, were prevented by the authorities from entering the farm campus. The authorities told the protesters, who included noted litterateur and journalist Homen Bargohain, noted social worker Hem Bhai and naturalist Biraj Chowdhury, among others, that the farm gate was locked at the instance of the State administration!

Excessive inbreeding killing white tigers in India
NEW DELHI, Aug 20: Bred and kept in captivity for more than three decades now, the white tiger in India faces an uncertain future, thanks to excessive inbreeding which has threatened its survival.

Forest smugglers held in the Last Five years
NEW DELHI, Aug 19: About 1000 smugglers have been held and forest wealth worth Rsthree crore recovered by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Barbera forest area in Orissa during last five years.

Project Tiger control room with internet site
CALCUTTA, Aug 17: Project Tiger, the country-wide programme to save dwindling tiger population, has opened a control room with a site on internet to further improve the thrust of the project. The opening of 'Project Tiger control room' follows addition of two more reserves to the domain of the project - Bhadra in Karnataka and Pench in Maharashtra, an official release here said.

Gutkha demand fast chews up Thane's forests
MUMBAI, AUG 17: The insatiable demand from Delhi-based gutkha manufacturers has drastically shrunk the cover of Khair and other trees in Thane district, with no let-up in the timber-mafia's activities here. Attention turned to the district several years ago since Khair trees, a prime ingredient in gutkha and catechu (kattha), have been logged to virtual extinction in the northern states.

Wildlifer Deb Roy passes away
New Delhi, August 16: Mr Sanjay Deb Roy, a member of the steering committee of Project Tiger and the Indian Board for Wildlife, died at AIIMS in the Capital on Monday. He was 65, and is survived by his wife and two sons.

Capital construction at the cost of environment
GUWAHATI, Aug 10: At a time when efforts are on worldwide to protect and preserve the environment, the State Government instead of protecting the environment is all set to evict the Khanapara Muga Seed Farm, which is acting as a green belt in the city for the purpose of constructing residential buildings as part of the permanent capital of the State.

Suspension of eviction drive causes concern
GUWAHATI, Aug 9: Aaranyak Nature Club (ANC), a society for biodiversity conservation in North-East India, has expressed its serious concern at the suspension of an anti-encroachment drive in the 6th addition areas of the Kaziranga National Park, reports UNI. The eviction drive was called off on July 31 in the Bholakata Chapori area of Kaziranga National Park following tough resistance from the encroachers.

Forest Ministry planning to create largest tiger habitat
New Delhi, August 10: The Ministry of Enviro-nment and Forests is planning to create the largest tiger habitat in the country covering more than 5,000 square kilometres in central India. The mega tiger reserve is to be built by creating new tiger reserves and linking old ones. India has 60 per cent of the global tiger population.

A Lonely Battle for the Rainforests of Assam
DIGBOI, Upper Assam, India, July 14, 1999 (ENS) - A tiny environmental activist group is waging a lonely battle to save the last, surviving patches of a rainforest in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. The few patches of the rainforest in the state's Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts are the only ones left in this region of the Himalayan foothills.

Musk Deer Endangered by Demand for Perfume, Medicine
FRANKFURT, Germany, July 7, 1999 (ENS) - The high demand for natural musk as an ingredient in medicines and perfumes is endangering wild populations of musk deer, according to a report released Tuesday by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring programme of WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature and IUCN-The World Conservation Union.

A burden of exploitation for Kol women
Chitrakoot, Aug 9: The mighty forest department here has a formidable enemy. Confronted by the barefoot, ill-clad Kol women carrying headloads of freshly cut wood, the forest officials have thrown up their hands. These ``headloaders'', often carrying a burden more than their body weight, have also vanquished the railway staff.

Huge amount of sewage drained into Yamuna every day
NEW DELHI, Aug 8: The fact that a startling amount of sewage is being drained into the Yamuna river has come to light after Supreme Court took up the issue asking the governments of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to take steps to prevent pollution of its water, reports PTI.

Mizoram Forest dept unable to perform duties
AIZAWL, Aug 5: The State Forest department had not been able to perform its basic duties, including serveys of notified forests, as it is yet to be organised and oriented to discharge its assigned tasks and responsibilities, said a note prepared by Mizoram's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) here.

Govt plans encyclopaedia of trees for green awareness
New Delhi, August 5 (H Bula Devi): The Delhi Government is planning to bring out an encyclopaedia on existing trees in the city. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has directed Environment and Forests Secretary to tap all sources and chalk out a plan of action to bring out the encyclopaedia.

Forest officials told not to return confiscated vehicles
Meerut, August 5 (S. Raju): In a landmark decision, the government has ordered that those vehicles and weapons, which are confiscated for offences against wildlife, will be treated as government property and would not be returned to the offenders even after compounding the case.

India tops nations with high number of endangered mammals
NEW DELHI, AUG 5: India, having 30 mammalian species in the endangered list, ranks first in the world among nations with high number of mammalian species in the "threatened" category. It is followed by the United States and China, each harbouring 29 mammalian species in the threatened category, who jointly hold the second position in a list maintained by International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN) in Geneva.

Tree felling in Rangjuli forest evokes concern
DUDHNOI, Aug 3: Large-scale sale of timber, firewood and other finished wooden articles allegedly procured illegally from Rangjuli reserve forest-the lone natural forest cover of Goalpara district left after long deforestation-has caused widespread resentment among the conscious citizens.

Plastic litter causes death of hogdeer in zoo
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A hogdeer in the city zoo died on Friday after it ate a polythene bag abandoned by some visitors. A mass of 1.25 kg of plastic waste was extricated from the animal's abdomen during the postmortem.

'Deepor Beel facing extinction'
GUWAHATI, Aug 1: Sheer lack of concern on the part of the government is pushing the Deepor Beel on the city outskirts towards extinction in no time, said Dr Prashanta Kumar Saikia, professor of Zoology of the Gauhati University

Bird migration to park threatened
NEW DELHI, AUG 1. Unchecked human habitation around the Keoladeo National Park in Rajasthan is shooing away the rare birds which visit the world famous sanctuary every year. The population around the forest has registered a 24 per cent growth in the past 10 years threatening bird migration, says a study.



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